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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 909

The Dawn Patrol

1930108 minUnited States
AdventureDramaWar
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
English
This copy runs
107:49
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Howard Hawks · Public domain

Synopsis

Veteran pilots resent a commander who repeatedly sends inexperienced replacements into lethal missions. Their anger changes meaning when one of them takes his place and encounters the same orders from above. Friendship, exhaustion and the need to keep flying reveal the burden of command inside a squadron whose losses never allow enough time to prepare the next arrivals.

Cast

DirectorsHoward Hawks

Historical context

Hawks's First World War drama makes responsibility within the unit as important as combat in the air. The film was later retitled Flight Commander after the release of the 1938 remake called The Dawn Patrol.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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